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Smart Meter Advisors to help with new parking meters

Published On: Jul 20 2012 04:15:53 PM HST

HONOLULU -

Mayor Peter Carlisle announced Friday that a team of 12 advisors will be available Downtown and in Chinatown for the next week to assist motorists with new "smart" parking meters that accept credit and debit cards.

"We want to make sure that anyone who is unfamiliar with the new meters can take advantage of their features if they so choose," Carlisle said. "We also want to make sure everyone understands that they can still pay with coins if they prefer."

The advisors, who began assisting motorists today, will wear bright yellow vests and black caps that identify them as Smart Meter Advisors. They will remain available through Friday, July 27, and will continue on Saturday, July 28 in Chinatown only.

The new meters are being installed as part of a pilot project to replace coin-only meters with new solar-powered meters that allow payment by credit and debit card and the addition of meter time via mobile phone. The project began on June 4 with the installation of 110 meters in the Civic Center area. The latest phase will install 231 meters on Downtown and Chinatown streets before Monday.

Wireless communication capability is incorporated into the meters for real-time online credit card authorization, which meets the highest Visa and MasterCard standards for credit card information security. No credit card information is ever stored on the meters or on any city information system.

Meter rates, maximum parking durations and enforcement practices will not be changed during the pilot project. Additional information and a customer feedback system will be available at www.ipsgroupinc.com/honolulu.

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